Ghostly Film
by Akumugan
Summary: There is something wrong with his challenger but Red doesn't know what it is.


**Ghostly Film  
**Implied Red/Kris [Gameverse]  
PG-13  
**Happy Halloween, everyone!**

**

* * *

He closes his eyes because if he doesn't she'll never appear again and her touch is cold but he doesn't mind, he lives in a cave in Mt. Silver after all. Icy fingers touch his face and his neck and Red sighs. She's there in front of him, he knows it. The only person to defeat him.**

Red goes to reach where her face should be, and he feels cold skin; she always forgot to wear a scarf. And when he feels her, he opens his eyes. And she's gone.

He closes his eyes again. Maybe she'll come back. And when Red doesn't feel her cold fingers, he opens them again and finds himself where he left himself. The cave is dark and when he looks over to his right, the raging snow white is blinding. Red gets up, knees creaking and stretches; he hears his bones crack.

And when he slips out from the cover of the cave, the snow smacks him around. But Red doesn't mind. He'll become stronger, and when she returns he'll beat her.

In the dark cave, his eyes are closed and he's leaning against the jagged cave wall whose rocks are digging into his back. He hears the ground crumble, and his eyes open.

A giggle echoes within the cave and the slow, calm beating of his heart steadily increases. Red holds his breath.

("You ready for another battle, Red?")

He answers by getting up and plucking a Pokéball from his belt. He and his Pokemon are ready.

The girl defeats him; not easily but she wasn't struggling either. Red retrieves his fallen Venusuar.

Her Typlosion, some foreign region Pokemon, is also returned to its Pokéball.

Red closes his eyes and feels her approach him. A cold hand touches his cheek but he refused to open his eyes; she'll only leave again. But he reaches out, touches a wet and almost frozen pigtail from the snow and the cold.

She's the only one who has ever beaten him. He needs to see her face once more, see the warmth in those crystal clear eyes of hers. Red looks at her and sees no one, his fingers curled around air.

* * *

She doesn't return for quite some time, and part of him is worried.

* * *

And there he is again, in that cave. Green made the trek up Mt. Silver from Viridian City and found him. He's dressed for the weather; thick clothes and jacket and scarf and snow boots. It's cold, Green thinks. He sits besides Red who casts him an emotionless gaze of crimson.

It's been three months since she left, and Green wants to tell him. But Red's inquiring stare makes his heart hurt. Green can't bear to hurt his best friend.

"Leaf says hi and she hopes you're dressing properly." Green mumbles. Red nods, wordless as expected. Red doesn't ask about her openly and Green doesn't look him in the eye. And there are no more words exchanged and the only sound is their breathing mingling with the howl of the wind and snow storm.

When Green thinks it's died down some, he tells Red good bye and to take better care of himself before he leaves.

* * *

Red is waiting. He'll wait forever for His Challenger to come. But everyone but Her comes. And then, someone does come.

A girl stumbles into his cave. He slowly gets up and looks at the Trainer (who else could get here?). She has a ridiculously large hat, a thick scarf around her neck. His heart skips a beat, his eyes widening in a miniscule margin.

Brown eyes look up at him and they're warm. But he sees crystal clear eyes. Her hair is brown and in upturned pigtails; he sees a dark blue. His Challenger has returned to him.

Red takes out a Pokéball wordlessly and knows she'll understand. He doesn't her speak nor her lips move ("Oh, you must be that guy everyone talks about! Sure, okay, let's battle!") and takes out one of her own Pokéballs from her bag.

He's waited years for her, trained for years for her. He'll crush her now and regain his title as Best.

Red is very disappointed, and confused. His Challenger is different; the movements are not amateurish but they're not honed either, like before. Under the brim of his hat, he squints crimson eyes at her. He isn't mistaken. _It's her_. But why is she different?

And his familiar challenger is defeated, almost too easily. His hat hides his furrowed brow and he recalls his Pikachu. His Challenger is panting, and has been since her second Pokemon. This is very wrong of His Challenger.

Under his hat, he casts her a bemused gaze. But it doesn't reach her. Her lips move "You're really good!" but he hears the storm raging around them and ("My game is just off, Red, I'll beat you again next time!"). Before the girl can speak again to actually tell him "I'll be back to challenge you again. My name is Lyra!" Red turns away and walks back into his cave.

* * *

He hears gravel crunching but he doesn't open his eyes. Cold fingertips touch his cheek and Red sighs. He can communicate with her without words. _You lost yesterday._

Her voice is confused. ("But I didn't visit you yesterday.")

Red sighs again, insistent. _Yes, you did._

She doesn't argue and her fingers leave him. ("Let's battle Red. I'll beat you this time.")

He feels himself being pulled up, his finger curling around a Pokéball.

Red lost to her. She really was off her game then. He forgives her lapse of skill; it has been a while since she returned to him. His Charizard is too tired to fight on and Red puts him back into his Pokéball. He tries to beat her-she's fast in retreating- and looks up. And all he sees is white.

* * *

The girl returns with determination in her eyes. Red sees only crystal eyes and dark blue hair- not brown eyes and hair. He sees a plain white cap, not a puffy white cap with a pink bow on it. And he thinks his challenger is on a roll to see him three times in a single week.

Red wonders about her skills; it's inconsistent and erratic. He wonders if his challenger is ill. She makes careless mistakes that cost her the health of her pokemon. And Red wins again.

His challenger is disheveled; a look he hasn't seen since the early days of her coming. Red is confused. And his challenger is weak today unlike yesterday. He gives her a bemuse look but it goes unnoticed; she's too busy panting and tending her wounded Meganium (_Typlosion_).

He recalls his pokemon (Blastoise) and turns away from her. Something was wrong. But he couldn't put his finger on it. She doesn't understand him, and her battling skills are not on par with him own. But she was fine last night; she communicated with him easily and she devastated him in battle, sending a thrill though his blood. But she was flat today.

* * *

His challenger returns to him later that week. Familiar gravel crunches and cold fingers touch his face again. A familiar greeting and he keeps his eyes closed- she's just too fast for him to catch.

Red sighs instead. _Is something wrong?_

("No. Why?") Her voice is light chimes, echoing in the cave.

_You lost again. You used to never lose._

("When? I haven't been here in some days.")

Red doesn't understand. She doesn't remember.

His Challenger decides to cheer him up and tugs at his hands to stand.

("Let's battle, Red.")

* * *

Red is getting frustrated. He'd lost to her again but His Challenger today is weak. She's gotten better, just a bit. She was never this inconsistent. When the girl loses, he turns his back again to her, deaf to her "I'll come back to beat you!" and into his cave.

His Challenger must be playing games with him. Was she bored with their normal dance? He didn't like this new tempo, fast and slow. It continues this way for months; She wins against him in a familiar, thrilling way and then She's weak and off-game. Red is confused.

* * *

He doesn't like this new game. He accused her one day of playing games with him; She feigned ignorance. Red tried his best to ignore Her cold fingers and light chime voice afterwards but the promise (_this time_) of his blood rushing through his veins was too tempting.

This game continues. And Red is losing patience. The girl returns to challenge him, brown eyes and brown hair. He sees crystal clear eyes and dark blue hair. He sends out his Blastoise against her Meganium (_Her Typlosion_). And when she easily defeats his Blastoise, Red thinks maybe she's gotten back on her game. So he puts fire against fire (His Charizard to Her Typlosion) and is confused when she retracts it in exchange for a Politoed (_a Lapras_).

He ends up winning again. Red retreats to his cave, confusion and frustration bubbling in his gut.

* * *

The girl returns (_His Challenger returns_) and they battle once more. She's doing poorly again, he's pushing Her and pushing Her to show him. _Show your true power. Show me!_

And when he is disappointed after her fourth fallen Pokemon, Red can't be silent anymore.

Red has never won against her this much. Why was she losing?

Emotion distorts his face and he yells hoarsely, "KRIS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

His Challenger is confused; he sees it in her crystal clear eyes.

"Kris? No, I told you. I'm _Lyra_." The girl exclaims. He doesn't hear that. ("What are you talking about, Red? I'm battling _you_.")

Red grits his teeth and orders his Charizard to use his most powerful attack against her. Lyra screams.

* * *

Red feels ashamed of himself. He lost his temper (when was the last time he's done that?), and hurt Kris. And Kris ran from him; she never ran from him. She ran _at _him.

Kris hasn't returned to him since then. No cold hands or challenges. He doesn't blame her. He hurt her.

* * *

Green is angry when he finds Red. He found out Red actually hurt a Trainer- a Trainer that had beat him. Red doesn't protest when Green grabs him by the collar and drags him down the mountain. But Red is confused when Green leads him to a small cemetery in Viridian City, off a beaten path hardly anyone goes to.

Green shoves him to his knees in front of a tombstone.

"You called her Kris! I-I thought you'd figure it out, Red!" he snarls. Red looks up at him, puzzled.

Green throws out his hand towards the headstone. "Read it, Red!" he demands his friend.

Red looks at the granite and see his challenger's name carved into the cold stone.

_Kris_

Red's brow furrows and looks up at Green. His voice is hoarse from the lack of using it.

"When? Kris has been visiting me for months," he says. Green frowns.

"Kris has been dead for over a year, Red. Lyra has been challenging you for the past several months," Green says, uncomfortable. Red looks even more confused.

"Who is Lyra?" Red asks; he doesn't recall ever meeting a girl called Lyra. Green digs into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of newspaper and holds it out to Red.

Red takes it and looks at it. It was from the Viridian Press, the front page. Bold print said that a new Champion has come. Her name is Lyra from Johto (_like Kris_) and it showed him a colour picture of a girl with a puffy white hat with a bow on it, brown eyes and brown hair in upturned pigtails. Red was reminded strongly of Kris and handed the clipping back to Green.

"She looks like Kris," Red's throat hurts him. And Green puts the clipping away, frowning discomforted.

"Lyra looks nothing like Kris, Red. Kris had dark blue hair and light coloured eyes. Lyra has brown hair and brown eyes." Green says. Red is going back through time, trying to remember this Lyra girl but she's isn't in his memory. There's only Kris and Kris and Kris.

Green offers a spare bed at his apartment but Red turns him down. He wanted to be back on his mountain.

* * *

Red leans against the lagged wall, a lump in his throat forming. Hot tears prick his eyes and he shut them tightly, liquid squeezing out and sliding down his face. He is tired and he feels empty. Was his past year a lie? All of it from her cold fingertips to their battles? Did his pokemon wonder why they were fighting against no one at all?

He dozes off only to be reawakened by cold hands on his face and Red scrunches his eyes shut tightly. He touches her hands; she felt so _real_.

("Red? Hey Red! Let's Battle!")

Red tries to ignore Her, tries to will himself to feel that She's truly not there.

("Red? Is something wrong?")

He feels warm breath on his ear and tries to shut his eyes tighter, tries to remember that headstone with her name.

("Red?")

("Red?")

("Red?")

("Wanna battle?")

**Fin**


End file.
